Bought a Microsoft Dynamics house? Beware critical Windows issue!

I frequently receive cold calls at home from a well-known home improvements company and the conversation goes something like this:

<Cold Caller>: “We are in your area doing a special offer on replacement windows, when can we come and see you?”

<Me>: “I’m not interested; my windows are fine”

I hang up phone

Given half a chance I’m sure they would have gone on to inform me that improvements in glass result in less heat loss therefore saving me money and is better for the environment. This is a valid sales pitch as they recognize I already own windows and are now attempting to sell me a replacement / upgrade.

Imagine this scenario though:

<Cold Caller>: “We are in your area doing a special offer on windows, we know your house doesn’t have any windows so when can we come and see you?”

<Me>: “You are misinformed (or words to that effect), I just bought this house and it is in the final stages of being built. You should have seen the sales pitch; apparently I’m going to have the best windows ever made.”

<Cold Caller>: “Unfortunately you only think you bought those windows with your house, take a closer look and all you really have are holes in your walls. We can sell you great windows to fill these gaps.’

I hang up phone. Clearly this person is deluded; no one would sell / buy a house without windows.

Welcome to the world of selling Business Intelligence (BI) in the Microsoft Dynamics market place – selling something to people who believe they already have it.

Watch the sales pitch for Microsoft Dynamics (or any ERP for that matter) and you believe that by signing on the dotted line you will be in business intelligence nirvana, you just need to buy this Microsoft Dynamics house.

You buy the house, move in, and soon thereafter you start to notice the draughts and the cold – everyone is complaining to you about it. Why are those great windows I was told so much about not doing their job? Well, you were being shown the art of the possible in the pre-sales phase, not what you actually bought. You check the contract’s small print and the cold caller was correct – one house, no windows.

So I’m pretty annoyed at the implied inclusion of amazing windows in the purchase of my Microsoft Dynamics house, but no problem, there are loads of companies purporting to be windows experts out there so I’ll just give them a call (they obviously realise these houses always get sold without windows).

A few phone calls to BI vendors later.…

Hang on a minute; all I want are new windows to fit my Microsoft Dynamics house so why are these companies trying to sell me one of the following: